The Effect of Acupressure on Perineal Pain Levels in Primiparous Women with Episiotomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Aim: Perineal pain in primiparous women is a condition that can adversely affect the mother and, therefore, the newborn in the postpartum period. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure on perineal pain after episiotomy in the early postpartum period.Material and Methods: This study was designed as a prospective, randomized controlled trial and was conducted between November 2022 and May 2023 at a university hospital in Türkiye. The study was conducted with 60 primiparous participants who had undergone episiotomy in the 3rd and 5th hour of early postpartum. Participants were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Participant Information Form and the McGill Pain Questionnaire Short Form (SF-MPQ).Results: While the SF-MPQ scores of the acupressure and control groups were similar before application, the pain was less in the acupressure group after application (p<0.001). While a slight decrease in the SF-MPQ score was observed in the control group over time, a more pronounced decline was observed in the experimental group (p<0.001).Conclusion: Acupressure applied to primiparous women with episiotomy can be an effective non-pharmacological method of reducing perineal pain.